Computing-scale.



J. HOPKINSON.

COMPUTING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1911.

1,077,935, Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHBBTS-SHBET l.

J. HOPKINSON.

COMPUTING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1911.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m @JS @Hummm JOSEPH HOPKINSON, F DAYTON, OHIO.

COMPUTING-SCALE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4,1913.

Application filed May 1, 1911. Serial No. 624,351.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HOPKINsoN, a

- citizen of the United' States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certa-1n new and useful Improvements in Computing- Scales; and I do hereby 4declare the' follow ing to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the gu'res and letters of reference marked thereon.

yicially illuminated, and being made of translucent material, the gures, appearing at the sight opening would be made very plain, so as to be readily seen and read.

Such scales as thus far developed have em-4 bodied meansA whereby an electric light or lights might be employed, such lights being normally extinguished, but through switch or contact. devices lighted when the scale is put in operation as when a load is placed on the load support. Patents numbered 886,775 and 946,447, illustrate thetype of scale above referred to, and it will be understood that in the scale of the presentv invention similar means may be employed for;

establishing or breaking an electricocircuit for lighting or extinguishing the lights or' lamps used for illuminating the scale, and

asv

henceno particular description of this mechanism -is thought to be necessary. In all of the scales. heretofore constructed diiliculty has been experienced in so illuminating them that the figures both on .the rotary drum and on the ixed casing would be brought intoV prominence, and although it has been proposed to form perforated' figures or rice Vcharacters on the xed portion of t e casing .which would be illuminated from wit-hin o r by llight transmitted through the wall of the drum, the result has not been entirely satisfactory, nor has such d tions.

an arrangement presented possibilities of eii'ective advertisiirby means of the illuminating light, nor yof giving the scale a highly ornamental character which can be secured if illuminating devices external to the drum be employe In accordance with the present' invention, it is proposed to primarilyv illuminate both the price indications on the Iixed casing and the value indications on the rotary drum from the exterior or side from which they are viewed', although, vas will be presently explained, a certain proportion or" the light may be transmitted into the interior of the drum for illuminating the whole interior to a greater `or less degree. In carrying the invention into practice, the casing embodies or has thereon an oiset portion extending parallel with the sight opening, said oitset portion constituting .a light chamber in'which an illuminating device is located, and said chamber has an elongated opening through which the light passes to illuminate thel front or outer side of the price and value indications, and by reason of the fact that the light is located in such a chamber exterior to and parallel with the drum, it becomes possible to utilize the light as an effective advertising medium as well as to enhance the attractiveness and beauty of the scale. For instance, bymaking the chamber in Whole or in part, of translucent material, such as colored glass, having advertising matter thereon, or of the so-called artglass?" Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section 'of fa 'scale embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a front elevation oi' the scale ,shown in Fig. l; Fig?) is an elevation partly in section showing a modiiied arrangement of the illuminating portion of the scale.

Likeletters of reference throughout the several figures indicate the same parts.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the scale illustrated embodies the well known elements of Va rotary drum A, counterbalancing springs B, and Vdraft bar or load support C, the drum and counterbalancing springs being mainly shown in dotted lines. The drum is of ordinary construction, that is to say, its

periphery is covered with translucent material, such as varnished paper, upon which is printed inV proper order the value indica- The drum and counterbalancing `one end to the other, this sight opening being preferably formed in a plate which, while separable from the body of the casing, forms in the assembled scale a portion of the casing in that it incloses the front of the drum and defines the size and position of the sight opening.

In accordance with the present invention the casing is formed or provided with an offset or chamber parallel with theksight opening and located, as shown in Figs. l and 2, in front of and above said opening, said chamber, however, being so related to the sight openings that when itself strongly illuminated, `t/h'e light will pass down in front of and into the sight opening, thereby illuminating both of the sets of figures before referred to; z'. e., the set of price figures on the outer face or wall of the portion of the casingv forming the sight opening and the figures von the periphery of the drum at the sight opening. In the preferred arrangement the upper portion or top of the offset indicated at F extends in a more or less tangential direction from the upper portion of the casing or top of the drum, and at its end is provided with an upright wall G which may be in the form of a colored glass panel adapted to display advertising or interest exciting matter, the lower portion of said front wall being preferably extended down past the sight opening and joining the body of the casing below the same, as at H. Conveniently, opposite the sight opening the offset carries a magnifying lens I, although it will be understood that a plain glass lens may be substituted or used where magnification of the indications is not desired, and furthermore, that while the illuminating chamber is thus opened downwardly to the sight opening, a portion of the light may, if so desired, be transmitted to the sight opening through the lens itself, asv illustrated, for instance, in Fig. 8, which will be hereinafter referred to.

Thelamp or light is preferably a long incandescent electric lamp located in the upper portion of the illuminating chamber, and, if desired, in a curved hood or recess f, the position being such that the rays of light will effectually illuminate the tornamental panel G, as well as the lines of price andtion of the casing forming the sight opening is entirely or partly removed, thus eX- posing the periphery of the drum directly to the light from the chamber, which light, being transmitted through the periphery 0f the drum, will illuminate its whole interior, thus rendering parts visible which might otherwise be'obscured by shadow, and aiding materially in causing the figures at the sight opening to stand out clearly. On the reverse or rear side of the scale, a similar arrangement of illuminating chamber may be employed, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, only in this instance it becomes unnecessary to provide a long downward extension of the chamber, in view of the fact that no elongated sight opening is employed, but only a sight opening indicating pounds and ounces, usually at substantially the center line of t-he scale. Sufficient light for illuminating this sight opening will be transmitted through the wall of the drum from the electric light K, located above the sight opening. On the rear side of the scale the panel G is for the purpose of displaying attractive advertising or interest exciting matter, and the lowerwall of the chamber at H connects directly with the cylindrical wall of the casing. The electric lamps K and K will both be of substantially the same character, and While both are preferably employed, it is obvious that one will give good results, although it should not be of such character as would endanger the parts of the scale from overheating.

In Fig. 3 the illuminating chamber is formed by an overhanging hood or projection M in which the electric light N is located at a point suiiiciently high to prevent its direct rays shining out into the eyes of the person using the scale, while below said hood the projection or offset portion O, carrying the lens P is open at the top as indicated at p. The front wall of the projection O, however, is not removed sufliciently far from the drum to cause all of the rays of light to pass within the same and consequently some of the light will reach the sight opening through the lens while a part of the light will pass down behind the lens for direct illumination of the slight opening and indicating characters exposed thereat.

It will be understood, of course, that the inner surface of the Walls of the illuminating chamber which are not intended to transmit light may be in the'form of reflect- Ahaving value computations on its peripheral -the axis of the drum with prlce computations on the exterior face in proximity to ythe sight opening, of an elongated light -chamber extending parallel with and above the sight opening, said chamberl forming an offset on the outer side of the casing and being open at the bottomy in front of, the sight opening in the casing, whereby. the computations on the exterior face of the casing in proximity to the. sight opening and ,the value computations on the exterior face of the drum at the sight opening are illuminated from the front of the scale, and a source of light located Within the light chamber and above a portion ofsaid chamber lyingin front of the same, whereby the eyes of the-observer are shieldedfrom the direct rays of the light.

l2. In an 'illuminated scale, the combination with the rotary cylindrical drum having value computations on its exterior peripheral face, and load supporting and counterball ancing mechanism ffor rotating the drum, of

an inclosing casing for the drum having a sight opening extending parallel with the axis of they drum, an external light chamber mounted'on and forming a partbof the casing, and extending parallel with and in proximity to the sight opening, a lens extending parallel With and in front of the sight opening, there being openings for the transmission of light both toward the front and the rear sides of the lens, and a source of .light located in said e'hamber in position to transmit its luminous rays through said openings toward the front of the lens and also back of the lens to illuminate the front faces of the casing having the price comy putations thereon and of the drumlhaving the. value computations thereon.

3. In an illuminated computing scale, the` combination with the rotar drum vhaving value computations thereon, ioad supporting and counterbalancing mechanisms :for rotating the drum, and a casing surrounding the drum and having a sight opening extending parallel with the axis of the drum with prlce computations in proximity thereto, of a casin extension forming a chamber in front o and above'said sight opening,l the wall of said extension being formed in part by a lens in front of the sight opening. and ftranyslucent/ material above the lens and a source of light located above and in front of the sight opening in the chamber, formed by the casing extension whereby the lightv will illumiate both`the price and value computations from the lfront and be in part transmitted through the translucent material, D

4. In an illuminated computing scale, the combination with the rotary drum having value com utations thereon and lload sup-` portingvan counterbalancing mechanism for rotating the drum,of`l a casin surrounding the drum and having an o set extending parallel with the axis of the drum to'form a light chamber, a portion of the Wall of said chamber being of light transmitting substance, and a portion having a sight opening therein parallelwithand in proximity to the drum, and a source o'f light located in the chamber for illuminating the sight opening and computations exposed thereat and for being displayed through the` light transmitting wall of the chamber.

JOSEPH HOPKINSON.

Witnesses:

H. M. WALSH, D. A. Dn VANNEY. 

